


Redemption

by winxixia



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Focus on Jasper and Hendrik, Luminary's point of view at first before it focuses on Hendrik, M/M, basically the beginning of part 3 but with major changes, beside Jasper and Hendrik the characters are mostly support, if only these two had talked..., oh well, spoilers for part 3!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21756445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winxixia/pseuds/winxixia
Summary: The Luminary is on his way to get the sword of light, ready for anything. At least he thought so.
Relationships: Graig | Hendrik/Homer | Jasper (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so bad at summaries but I couldn't say too much or it would be spoil.

They had finally reached the Yggdrasil. The sword of light was floating, protected by a magical shield since a thousand years. Eleven only had to take it but he knew better. He had lived this moment once, he wouldn’t be fooled again. He drew his sword and quickly turned to block Jasper’s spell. The white knight looked shocked.

“H-how did you - !?” he stuttered.

“Damn you, Jasper!” Erik cursed. “How did you find us!?”

“Find you? Ha ha! Did you witless vermin not realise I was following you all along?”

Jade jumped to kick him but he was protected by a magical barrier. She had to step back.

“What was that?!”

“Now, now, Princess. Such boorish behavior hardly befits one of your station. Do you not see that you are utterly powerless to stop me?”

He held out a dark orb that started emitting an evil aura. A wave of black magic flew toward the crew only to be cut down by Eleven’s sword. It was Jasper’s turn to take a step back.

“My powers… repelled…? B - How!? Wait - That sword...” He regained his composure. “Very impressive… But it will take more than a showy new weapon to defeat me!” He drew his sword, ready to fight. “Come, Luminary - all of you! Prepare for the end. The tree of life shall be your place of death!”

They prepared themselves. The white knight was strong, yet the Luminary knew what to do. He was faster, stronger, more efficient than when he first lived this fight. He dodged or blocked every attack, cancelled every spell. The general started to lose his focus as six of his opponents kept distracting him while the seventh was a real threat.

Eleven hit the orb and it exploded in Jasper’s hand, making the knight cry of pain. No longer protected, he took every attacks at once and he fell on the ground. He tried to lift himself up.

“No…” he groaned. “This cannot be… I cannot be… defeated…” He slowly sat, his right hand glowing as he was casting a spell, while he glared murderously at them. “I cannot disappoint… my master…” He threw the spell at Eleven who blocked it once more. However his weird looking sword got destroyed in the process. They looked at remained of the weapon. Then Jasper fainted.

They heard footsteps, and King Carnelian appeared, followed by Hendrik. He picked up a piece of the blade to study it.

“What do we have here?” he asked. He faced Eleven. The boy took a sharp breath, remembering the truth about the king.

“What has Jasper led us into?” The black knight was confused. “What happened here?” He noticed his friend on the ground and walked to him.

“Yer pal showed his true colours, that’s what happened! He’s no servant of Heliodor - he’s sold his soul to the forces of evil!”

Hendrik stared at the small old man - Rab. He looked back at the unconscious knight in his arms. He refused to believe it. He was a protector of Heliodor, one of its strongest knights. He was smart and powerful. Why would he be a traitor?

The princess approached, full of confidence.

“The Luminary is not your enemy! It was Jasper all along!” she insisted.

“C… Curse... you…” Jasper tried to move but not to avail. Hendrik frowned. So the white knight really did betray them? Him? His childhood friend who trained with him and became a knight with? It hurt more than words would ever express it.

“So this is how you repay your king? With treachery?” he coldly commented. Jasper pushed him away and hit the ground once more. He painfully groaned, crawling toward the king. He was once so proud, but in this instant he looked pitiful. He reached out.

“Master… H-help me…”

There was a flash and Jasper yelled. Carnelian put his bloody sword back in its scabbard, as red started to colour the white armor.

“Faithless cur!” The king snapped. “You would dare to betray me - betray your kingdom!? Death is more than you deserve!”

The blonde slowly fell forward. Hendrik’s veins felt like ice. It couldn’t be. The king couldn’t have done that. He refused.

He barely registered cradling his old friend in his arms once more and casting a spell on him. His glove was soaking in blood. King Carnelian screamed something but all he noticed was the he was violently shaking. All his anger had vanished at once. It was unfair. There had to be an explanation. Maybe Jasper had been possessed by an evil entity. Yes, it had to be that. And so it made this summary execution even more unfair. They had to investigate, they had to!

A second light glowed. The Luminary was helping him to heal the blonde knight. Hendrik shot him a grateful glance. His friends loudly disapproved.

“I think Jasper wasn’t in his right mind” he calmly said. “We should ask him some questions. Maybe he can tell us who he swore his loyalty to. Then he would deserve a trial.”

Hendrik looked hopefully at the king. His eyes were as cold as steel and he didn’t seem to like the suggestion at all. Yet he agreed.

“Fine. Let us bring him back to Heliodor. There we will question him.”

The black knight sighed. That was better than nothing. He carefully lifted his friend. The white knight was barely conscious. They looked into each other’s eyes. The blonde was panting, only healed enough so he wouldn’t die. Hendrik gave him a long look.

“I won’t let you die” he whispered. “I promise.”

Jasper huffed before he fainted again.

Hendrik gently put his friend on a bed in jail. He wanted to leave him in a better place, however it wasn’t the time. He helped him to take his armor off, as the king ordered. Then the white knight turned to face the wall. The black knight didn’t know what else to do. He so badly wanted to comfort him, to say something, what could he do? He feared to bother him. For once he wasn’t reading a book or training new recruits and he was still unreachable. He reached out to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Go.”

He stopped. Jasper was hugging himself, curling up. He looked so cold… Hendrik brought him a blanket to cover him and he left.

The Luminary was waiting for him in the corridor. He waved at him then led him through the castle. The boy only stopped once in a small garden and he showed him a weird plant. The knight approached it. The boy gave him in approving nod, so Hendrik reached out.

Suddenly he was young again, and training with Jasper. Then they promised to sneak into the king’s room by a secret path. However Hendrik got caught and they never tried again. Years passed. Hendrik was praised for his strength when Jasper was mostly ignored. But the young soldier was proud of his friend, yet he never expressed nor showed it. He even walked past him after a successful mission as Jasper had reached out his hand for him to shake it. He never gave any excuse. He was then blinded by duty, had always been. It never sounded wrong to him, yet he was finally aware of how he mistreated his so called childhood friend. Maybe Jasper wasn’t possessed after all. Maybe he joined the evil on his own.

Hendrik felt sick of his own behavior. He cared about Jasper. He couldn’t imagine a life without him, the very idea hurt like a dagger in his heart. He knew he had to make up for his mistake, that was the reason showed him his past. Yet he feared it was too late. He sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t let the situation worsen, he had to act now. The flashback ended and he ran toward the jail. He would have to thank the Luminary later. He slowed down, wondering what he could say.

“Back already? Here to finish the job?”

He looked over Jasper’s form behind the barrs. He was holding his chest, where he had been cut. It wasn’t healed and it was obvious it was extremely painful. Hendrik kneeled down and reached toward him, his hand glowing with a healing spell. The blonde slapped it.

“Don’t you dare. I don’t need your help.”

Hendrik sighed. It wasn’t going to be easy

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“I did not think the king would send you already.”

“He did not. I came on my own.”

“Keep your fake empathy then. I have nothing to tell you.”

Jasper gave him a long look. Despite his anger, he seemed curious nonetheless.

“I… care about you.”

That was not at all what he meant to say, even though it was true. Hendrik blushed but the blonde didn’t take it well.

“Go away.”

“Jasper, please, listen to me-”

“GO AWAY!” Jasper snapped. He sat abruptly and closed his arms around him. His wound was bleeding once more. He pushed Hendrik away again as the talled tried to heal him. “What do you want? What now? You care? Ah! Do you even care about anything beside your precious duty!?”

The words hurt but how to blame him? He never proved otherwise. Hendrik opened the door to enter the cell. He cast his spell once more on Jasper who was no longer strong enough to stop him. He never realized how bright and beautiful the golden eyes were. He never dared to look at them so closely before.

“Leave me alone…”

The white knight looked away.

“I am so sorry.” Hendrik didn’t get any answer so he continued. “I took your friendship for granted. I never considered asking you how you felt. I never reached out for you. I had to be told so to be aware of it. For all of this I am sorry.”

They locked eyes. Hendrik could feel remorse, anger, doubt, and other emotions he couldn’t determine.

“So what? What do you expect from me?” Jasper’s voice trembled despite the confidence he meant to show.

“I want to take the time to talk with you and understand how you feel.”

“To understand? You have always succeeded everything you did! Everyone looks out for you! You are always in the light, how can you understand how it is to be forever in the dark!?”

“I want to try nonetheless. I want to help you to win over darkness… I want to be worth your friendship.”

There was a silence again. Hendrik was staring at Jasper, whose face was getting closer and closer. He noticed he was the one leaning in, but the blonde wasn’t moving. They half closed their eyes and startled as someone came closer. Hendrik stood up. King Carnelian walked slowly along the corridor and stopped in front of the cell. He looked coldly at them.

“Good thing you are already here, Hendrik. I took my decision about this traitor. Take his necklace off.”

Hendrik’s body tensed. He should have guessed Jasper would at least not be a general of Heliodor anymore… At least not before he was proved innocent. He reached for his neck and took his pendant.

“Your Majesty, when will we start to interrogate him -”

“We will not. I asked our magicians and they made it clear this worm had betrayed me for his own ambitions, to kill me and rule this country!”

“That is not true!” The knight turned to Jasper, hoping his friend would defend himself. However he did not. He just stared at his feet. “No…” He couldn’t believe it. Yet he did but he refused to not help his friend. “The devil is the real threat, we should -”

“Get him out of his cell. NOW.” He ordered as the knight was hesitant.

Hendrik helped Jasper on his feet and led him to the corridor. There, he let him sit on the ground as was slipping out of his arms.

“Draw your sword, Hendrik. Obey!” The king snapped as the general was about to argue. He took his sword. He didn’t like that, he didn't like that at all. He started shaking. “Jasper, you betrayed your kingdom and your king. You planned to take everything from me. You deserve a fitting punishment. I sentence you to death, with immediate execution. Hendrik, finish him and leave his body to rotten.”

“Master -” The blonde implored.

“SILENCE, FAITHLESS CUR! Do not call me that when you are so eager to stab me in the back! Hendrik, what are you waiting for!?”

The black knight was frozen. He didn’t recognize the once so gentle king. He had changed after the fall of Dundrasil, but he now gave him a bad feeling, as if the man in front of him was purely evil. Nevertheless, was he not the wrong one to doubt his king like this? He was a knight of Heliodor, it was his duty to serve it. He looked down at Jasper. He had just promised to help him. The blonde gave up and sat straighter, casting him a long look, knowing better than anyone what he was thinking about.

“Do what you do best” he told him. Hendrik lifted his sword, torn between his duty and his feelings. Something didn’t make sense.

“Why are you calling his Majesty your master if you betrayed him? You never did before…”

Jasper looked suddenly scared. He opened his mouth to answer but only a painful scream escaped his throat. He fell on the ground. King Carnelian lowered his hand.

“Tsssk… I should have known I would have to take him down by myself. You always have been too emotional…” the king, or whoever it was, said. “Or just kill him at the Yggdrasil.”

“Who… Who are you!?” Hendrik growled, moving in front of Jasper to protect him.

“Morde… gon… He.. He manipulates… the king…” Jasper groaned. Mordegon laughed.

“Not that anyone will know about it.”

He cast a spell toward Hendrik who barely managed to block it, then another, and another again. He was soon exhausted. However he had to protect Jasper. Rushing steps resonated. He was relieved to see it was the Luminary and his friends.

“Be careful!” he yelled. “The king is under the control of Mordegon!”

He lost his focus for one second but it was enough for his opponent to throw a powerful spell in his direction. He looked at it before he was bluntly pushed away. He tripped and fell on the ground. Something yellow flew past him and crashed into the wall. Hendrik’s heart stopped at the sight of Jasper, slipping against the wall. The stones were covered with his blood and so were his clothes. The knight howled. He grabbed his sword and attacked the old man, to the point the demon had to retreat. The birthmark on Eleven’s hand glowed, and Mordegon was separated from Carnelian’s body. Rab led the king away as the fight started. Hendrik rushed toward Jasper. There was too much blood…

He gathered all his mana and focused on his more efficient healing spell. It had to work, it couldn’t end like this. He didn’t want to lose him. He couldn’t bear to never watch him smile again, to hear his laugh… He wanted to protect him. Yet, the man was now motionless and Hendrik wasn’t even sure he was breathing at all. Still healing him, he took him in his arms to hold him close.

“Don’t die… Please… Please live…” Tears fell on Jasper’s cold cheeks. He hugged him tightly. “Please… I am so sorry… I love you… Please live…”

He didn’t know how much time passed. He had started sobbing at some point. He was rocking the blonde. It was the first time he hugged him for so long, or even at all. He desperately wished to hold him again once he would be well. He wanted to train with him, talk to him, laugh with him. All the feelings he was keeping for himself all those years were free. All his trust, his admiration…

And he could probably never ever tell him…

He lifted his head at sudden lights around them. The Luminary and some of his friends were kneeling by their side and using healing spells on Jasper. He vaguely thought about the king and Mordegon.

“Mordegon is no more” the young boy said. “The king is safe.”

“And your friend will make it” a blond girl wearing a green dress assured. He could only sob in return and hold the unconscious man even closer.

“Thank… you…”

“It’s alright darling” the jester reassured him. “You couldn’t know. Now make sure he comes back to his senses once he wakes up, yes?”

Hendrik nodded.

Jasper woke up the next day in late afternoon. He slowly blinked his eyes open and turned his head toward Hendrik. It was obvious the black knight hadn’t slept.

“How am I still alive?” the blonde asked.

“The Luminary and his friends helped me… I am not sure you would have survived if they had not…”

“Why not let me die? You are still willing to bring me to a trial?”

“You are innocent. So has decided the king. He believes you can make amend. You saved me…”

Jasper blushed.

“I simply stood up at the wrong time.”

“You pushed me. I should thank you for it.”

“But you won’t?”

“You almost died, Jasper!” Hendrik snapped. He didn’t mean to but the last days had been awful. His world went upside down and he became aware of some truths. The blonde had almost died twice in front of him on the same day. He put his face in his hands. “Sorry…” He could hear his voice trembling. “I do not want to yell at you while you are already sick… But… I would not bear to lose you this way. Or… or at all…”

“Are you crying?”

He was. Some door must have been opened to release the flood of his emotion. Yet he was embarrassing himself and his friend.

“I’m sorry” he croaked. Something touched his cheek. Jasper wiped his tears, a pensive expression on his face.

“I did not think you would care.”

“I cannot blame you there… I never have been honest with you… I should have told you many things years ago.”

“I am listening.”

Hendrik blushed but he took a long breath.

“I love you.”

That was direct, yet effective. Jasper blushed more at each second, so did Hendrik.

“Well… That explains why you were upset, I guess.”

“I am deeply sorry I ignored your feelings…”

“You told me so already. Move on.”

There was a silence before the blonde mumbled something.

“What was that?” the black knight inquirred.

“I said that I am also to blame. For not telling you anything either and thought that Mordegon’s offer was a fair deal.”

“Did he really propose you to rule Heliodor?” Jasper nodded.

“Between other things.”

“Which were?”

The ex-knight blushed again and turned.

“I am tired and need some rest. You shall leave now.”

“Was I concerned?”

“... Yes.” With a sigh, he faced Hendrik once more. His cheeks were red from embarrassment and he seemed to be pouting. Yet his eyes softened once he finally gave his answer.

“He said I could have you… by my side… and that you would never look at someone else.”

His voice was gentler than it had always been. He had never looked so fragile and still so strong. His confession may have sounded cheesy for anyone but not for Hendrik, never. Before Jasper could hide under his blankets, he took his hands and kisses them reverently.

“I will do just that then.”

He was happy beyond words, relieved. He swore himself to protect his love no matter what and to not leave him in the dark again.

Jasper looked tired, so Hendrik stood up to let him rest. However a light tug on his shirt was enough to make him stay and slip under the blankets by the blonde’s side. Oh, how wonderful it was to put his arms around him, to feel his heart pound loudly in his chest and his breath against his neck. He kissed his hair, his forehead, his temple. Jasper tilted his head backward and he kissed him on the lis. It felt right, it felt amazing. It felt home.

Hendrik decided to follow the Luminary to thank him for his help. He had to leave Jasper for a while, as his love still needed some time to fully recover. It was the day to leave. He was leaving his black armor behind, planning to put it back once the blonde would be able to follow him.

“So that is the day you leave me behind, mh?” There was a hint of teasing but also sadness. The general turned to face Jasper and he smiled.

“I will make sure I am not gone too long for I will miss you too much. I have something for you that I meant to return to you earlier.”

And so the pendant of the knights of Heliodor found its way back around Jasper’s neck. The implication was obvious.

“Thank you.”

Hendrik cupped his chin and kissed him. He believed in them and he was ready to turn a new page in the book of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this OS! This is the first time I write for so long ^^; But I couldn't stop myself nor take some parts off haha.  
> I just wish the best to Jasper. We all make mistakes. Yes it was a big one here but the people around didn't help him much.  
> Oh, btw, stay tuned, because there should be a surprise for Christmas, and maybe other stories before this date ;*  
> Please like and comment if you enjoyed, that's helping a lot! Or do not, it's alright too ^^  
> See you soon!


End file.
